"Welcome, Emperor. The kingdom is yours, Your Majesty." Chief Kaius, brother to Emperor Vulcan and Paramount Chief of the kingdom of Nebulos, bowed deeply though his tone was cold and unfriendly. "Thank you… Brother. It is wonderful to be home after all these years." Emperor Vulcan managed to muster a weak smile. His love for his brother had not waned over the years but he could still sense his brother's feelings of disdain hidden under the cloak of respect and duty. Emperor Vulcan had been reluctant to host the engagement ceremony in Nebulos but with the urging of his advisors, he had relented. Now, his main goal was to try to heal the enormous wound in their relationship that had been festering for years. "Uncle," Daegal inclined his head downwards in greeting. "My Prince." An awkward silence reigned in the courtyard of the Star Castle till it was broken by Chief Kaius's steward. "Your Majesty, My Prince, you must be tired after your long and stressful journey. Come, I shall
The Estorian harbor in Nebulos was even larger and more sprawling than the one in Vishwum. It was unlike anything Naomi had ever seen. As Naomi disembarked from the ship, she sighted large trading vessels and smaller boats and ships bobbing gently on the sparkling blue sea. She had never seen the sea shimmer like that before. "Wow… Nezetta… Estoria is even more beautiful than I imagined and I haven't even visited anywhere yet!" Naomi exclaimed as she looked around in wonder. However, Nezetta only responded with a stiff nod and a curt reply. "Hm. There is still more to see." Ever since Naomi decided to try to build a bridge across the gaping hole in their relationship caused by the secrets she was keeping, Nezetta had changed. Naomi would have been fine with keeping everything a secret but her conscience constantly pricked her each time she shared a kiss with Nezetta, held her hand, or caressed her smooth skin. Still, she fought back the urge to divulge every single detail but end
"Has there been any word from my daughter yet?" Chief Topher asked one of his many household spies. There remained two days till the engagement ceremony and still, Lolo Nerina was nowhere to be found. Her father, Chief Topher had exhausted all efforts and resources to no avail. He sometimes considered requesting the king to get Prince Daegal to fly over the Great sea in search of his daughter, but that would only alert the king to the fact that she was missing and he had been lying about knowing her whereabouts. "No, my Chief. I had made inquiries on all the ships that departed Vishwum within that period but nobody knew which ship she had boarded. All they knew was that she had boarded a ship along with a woman."A woman who I heard had rescued her from some vigilantes who wanted to punish her harshly for stealing," The spy reported, bowing his head meekly. "Stealing? What are you talking about? Which woman do you speak of? Was anybody able to identify the woman she boarded the shi
"Emperor, My Chief, there has been a massacre here in the capital!" The commander of the capital's guards, Sir Orryk, reported. Chief Kaius's and Emperor Vulcan's heads swiveled in Sir Orryk's direction. They had been breaking bread and treating each other in an attempt to try to find some common ground and perhaps stitch together a bit of the gaping rent in their relationship. So far, it was going well as they were doing their best to remain civil and not bring up any hostilities.However, the news Sir Orryk was about to report to them had the potential to rip the frail stitches apart. "A massacre? Where? When? What part of the city? Who committed such a heinous crime and why are you reporting to me alone instead of bringing the offender to me for judgment?" While Chief Kaius fired question after question, Emperor Vulcan remained silent, swirling the Nebulosi strong wine in his goblet. "My Chief, it occurred close to two hours ago in the Crescere area of the city. My men and I
“It is okay. Breathe, Naomi. Breathe. I am right here with you,” Nezetta cooed, leaping from the wooden rocking chair she had been sitting on for the last three hours, to hold Naomi’s shaking body.However, as soon as her fingers made contact with the exposed skin of Naomi’s shoulders, she flinched away from her touch.The sudden, unexpected movement pierced through Nezetta like a sharp lance going through a knight at a tourney. She retracted her hand, letting it fall to her sides as she tentatively sat and maintained a substantial distance on the straw-stuffed bed Naomi lay upon.“What happened to me? Where are we? How are you awake? And why am I dressed like this?” Naomi threw the barrage of questions at Nezetta as she frantically observed the strange room she had just found herself in. She had been stripped of her previous garments and was now clothed in a loose, cream-colored, lightly embroidered sleeveless silk dress that felt like a soft caress against her hot and balmy skin.The
"Who are you?" The inhumane voice of the sentient barrier whispered to Naomi. Its voice seared through her consciousness, momentarily distracting her from the burning sensation arising from her blistering skin. "Naomi? What's wrong? Talk to me." Nezetta frantically shook Naomi's shoulders but received no response.Naomi stood still, her eyes glazed over with her mouth hanging open. "Neziah, she is with me. She means no harm! Let her go!" Nezetta yelled at the barrier surrounding them authoritatively. The barrier failed to listen to her command. It could sense that something was gravely wrong with the stranger his princess had brought into the secret passage. It could not let her pass. "I...I am Lolo Nerina. Of Sejukgheim. I do not bear any ill will toward the royal family. I would never harm anyone!" Naomi managed to speak out in the way she knew Nerina would, amidst the tormenting presence in her head and her roasting flesh. The burning feeling was only in her head though. H
Something about Nerina’s eyes troubled Daegal as he led her and Nezetta through the winding hallways of the Star castle to his assigned chambers. Those ice-blue eyes of hers had haunted his dreams ever since he met her at the banquet to announce their betrothal and subsequent marriage. This time, however, something was different and it worried him. “Where are you taking us, brother?” Nezetta practically spat out the word, ‘Brother.’ “To my chambers,” He replied stiffly. “Is father going to be there? Are you going to reveal that I am here? You’re going to tell him and watch him cast me out like some stray mongrel while doing nothing just like before, are you not?” Nezetta fired at him, her anger bubbling to the surface. Daegal halted abruptly causing Nezetta and Naomi to come to a stop behind him. He turned around, his eyes filled with sadness. “Nez, I was a child back then. I—” Nezetta did not let him finish. “I was a child too, Daegal! You were already a man grown and you
With Daegal’s icy glare fixated on her, Naomi hastily concluded that she truly could not hope to gain his trust easily and have him help her out of the dilemma she was presently caught up in. “Sorcery? What the hell is he talking about?” She wondered as she searched for a suitable answer. Filled with fear at the sheer amount of disgust and disdain that Daegal aimed at her, she choked out the first thing that came to mind; something she imagined Nerina would say. “What sort of accusation is this?” She retorted defensively, bravely pushing her initial fear aside as she angled up her chin defiantly. However, in response, Daegal let out an exasperated growl and in one swift movement, pinned her to the wall beside them with his hand gripping her throat lightly, not wanting to hurt the daughter of the Royal Minister without good reason. “Lolo Nerina, lying to me is not the best call to make right now.” By stalking closer to Naomi’s personal space, his scent overwhelmed her and filled h